I just bought a new place and the garage, which is a 22x36 detached, has two 9 foot doors on it as of right now. I would like to remove the two and put one 20' door in.

What do I need to consider before taking on this task? Is the header the only issue? Can I just remove the two 10' headers and install one 20+ foot microlamb?

Will I have to jack (support) the front of the garage while doing this?

[This message has been edited by lowblazah (edited June 30, 2003).]

A lot depends on what is supported on that center section of wall. Yes, you will have to supprt the building while you do it. There may also be seismic issues and local codes enforcement issues.

The front wall of a garage where the doors are, is always the weakest in terms of lateral forces from winds and seismnic vibration. The section of wall you propose removing may be serving a major structural purpose in more ways than one.

A wood beam sized to replace these headers could possibly be 18" deep for such a span as this, loweriung your headroom/ door size by about six inches.